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To say Jeane was exceptional is an understatement. She was an exceptional diplomat, exceptional scholar, and above all, an exceptional human being. Jeane served as US-UN Ambassador from 1981 to 1985 and more recently in 2003 as Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission. The job of US-UN Ambassador is not a pleasant one, since everything one holds dear – and assumes erroneously that democratic allies do too – is up for grabs all the time. It was a testament to Jeane's love for her country and strength of purpose that she agreed to go back to the UN and its Human Rights Commission at the age of 76, where she found herself under constant attack as the human rights bad guy among fellow members which included a Libyan Chair, Syria and Sudan. In this environment, Jeane exhibited her trademark qualities that made her great.

She just said no. She would not be pushed into actions inimical to her deeply ingrained sense of decency and justice, no matter how unpopular it made her in the midst of a menacing crowd of bullies and thugs. When everyone else was intimidated Jeane was not. She never forgot who and what she represented, and strongly believed there was no substitute for clarity of vision and goals. Ironically, this made her unpalatable to most in the human rights movement, who have never understood either the threat to our way of life or the deeply humanistic character that drove whatever Jeane Kirkpatrick did. She will be sorely missed.

Anne Bayefsky

To say Jeane was exceptional is an understatement. She was an exceptional diplomat, exceptional scholar, and above all, an exceptional human being.

The only winners from the resignation of Ambassador Bolton are the foes of the United States. Ambassador Bolton did a courageous job communicating and protecting American values in the belly of a beast where those values are at risk each and every day. His commitment to real and effective reform was unshakable. His honesty, integrity and hard work produced substantial results on a multiplicity of levels in only 18 months on the job.

He spearheaded the

adoption of a first legally binding Security Council resolution sanctioning North Korea for its nuclear weapons program

passage of a first ever Security Council resolution addressing the Iranian nuclear program

consensus-building among democratic states that resulted in 50 donor countries, responsible for 88% of the UN regular budget, taking a common position on management reform.

Furthermore, he

had the foresight to refuse to lend credibility to the UN Human Rights Council, which as he predicted, has become a mockery of reform undeserving of American support

raised the profile of the genocide in Darfur and insisted on Security Council action

led the campaign against corruption at the UN secretariat, including the reduction of the gift ceiling for UN officials from $10,000 to $200

defended a free and democratic government of Israel from the relentless onslaught of anti-Israel and anti-semitic attacks launched across the UN system.

Ultimately, it was his success in defense of American and democratic interests that doomed him. Noone was more vociferous in campaigning against his nomination than the defenders of the status quo -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan, his Deputy Mark Malloch-Brown and their financial backers, George Soros and Ted Turner's UN Foundation. One can be sure they will have broken out the champagne, along with the Russians, Chinese, Sudanese and the remainder of the Organization of the Islamic Conference -- all those who have a vested interest in ensuring a never-ending cycle of U.S. money in, support for terrorism and nuclear proliferation out. The reverberations of the departure of John Bolton will be felt for a long time to come.

The only winners from the resignation of Ambassador Bolton are the foes of the United States. Ambassador Bolton did a courageous job communicating and protecting American values in the belly of a beast where those values are at risk each and every day. His commitment to real and effective reform was unshakable. His honesty, integrity and hard work produced substantial results on a multiplicity of levels in only 18 months on the job.